11C-Acetate PET/CT Imaging Physiologic Uptake, Variants, and Pitfalls

C-11-acetate PET is used in the assessment of various cardiologic and oncologic diseases. This article describes the physiologic uptake of C-11-acetate and presents the common benign findings in different anatomic parts of the body. Salivary glands, tonsils, thyroid, meningeal tuberculoma, meningiomas, and macroadenomas of the pituitary gland are sites of mild to moderate tracer uptake in the head and neck region. Parenchymal diseases of the lung and reactive and/or inflammatory mediastinal lymphadenopathies cause benign C-11-acetate uptake in the thorax. Liver, spleen, pancreas, and rectum show an increased uptake. Urinary tract and prostate gland show faint tracer uptake.